2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Knueve
A German surname likely derived from a Germanic root meaning "hill" or "knoll."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Knueve. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knueve surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Knueve in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knueve, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knueve
The surname KNUEVE originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria during the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Knüve" or "Knuffe," which referred to a small hill or knoll. This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive one, originally given to someone who lived near or on a small hill.
The earliest recorded instance of the name KNUEVE can be traced back to the late 15th century in a Bavarian village record. The name was spelled "Knuffe" at the time, and it referred to a family residing in a hamlet situated on a hill. Over the centuries, the spelling evolved to its current form, KNUEVE.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname KNUEVE was Hans Knueve, a blacksmith and metalworker who lived in the town of Nuremberg from 1512 to 1588. His creations, particularly ornate iron gates and decorative metalwork, can still be seen adorning some of the historic buildings in Nuremberg's old town.
Another historical figure with the KNUEVE surname was Johann Knueve, a Lutheran pastor who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber from 1624 to 1697. He is credited with preserving many important religious texts and documents during the turbulent times of the Thirty Years' War.
In the 18th century, a prominent KNUEVE was Katharina Knueve, who was born in 1723 in the village of Oberammergau. She is renowned for being one of the first female Passion Play directors, overseeing the renowned religious performance that takes place every decade in the Bavarian town.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Knueve, a 19th-century explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and South America between 1842 and 1876. His detailed accounts of the flora and fauna he encountered during his expeditions were widely published and contributed significantly to the field of natural history at the time.
Throughout the centuries, the KNUEVE surname has also been associated with various place names in Bavaria, such as Knuevenberg (meaning "Knueve hill") and Knuevebach (meaning "Knueve stream"), which further reinforces the name's connection to geographical features.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knueve
Among Census respondents with the surname Knueve, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Knueve bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Knueve surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 118
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knueve
Knueve appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,742 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 3,742 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Knueve surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #147,253 | #143,511 | 2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 118 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knueve bearers went from 112 to 118 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 3,742 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #143,511.
FAQ
Knueve surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knueve?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Knueve. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Knueve?
Knueve ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Knueve. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Knueve.
Has Knueve become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knueve went from 112 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Knueve?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knueve, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Knueve in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knueve appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Knueve (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Knueve mean?
A German surname likely derived from a Germanic root meaning "hill" or "knoll." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Knueve (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Knueve?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.